Wizards cast spell on all that Jazz

In a Dr Martin Luther King Jr Day matinee Arenas also had five assists and committed only one turnover in 41 minutes.

He said afterwards: "MVP? That trophy is given out at the end of the year. This is [37] games into the season so you can't do too much about it.

"Right now, Steve Nash is above everybody. You have to really do something dramatic in this league. If Kobe averages 35 with an 81 and he didn't get it, you have to do something else in this league to overtake what Steve Nash has done."

It was the seventh time this season Arenas had scored 40 or more points and the most points he's ever tallied at the Verizon Center.

The Jazz had led by 16 points in the first half, outscored the Wizards 30-18 in the paint during the first half and led 58-48 at halftime.

But the Arenas fight back soon revealed that the show was over for Utah's finest.

Summing up his style, Arenas said: "I'm going for the gusto. I'm going for that winner. The funny part is I was sitting right here before the game and I told DeShawn [Stevenson] 'I feel like 37 and the game-winner tonight.'

"So when I told him after the game: 'What did I say?' He just started laughing and said: 'Man, you were right.'"

Bulls break Spurs

Kirk Hinrich scored 23 points and Ben Gordon added 20 to lead the Chicago Bulls to a 99-87 victory over San Antonio, the Spurs' first loss here in more than six years.

Sudanese forward Luol Deng scored 17 points and Argentina's Andres Nocioni added 12 for the Bulls, who held the Spurs to 34-of-86 shooting to beat the Spurs for only the third time in their past 17 meetings.

The Bulls seized a 42-32 half-time lead, Gordon sparking the way with 11 points in the second quarter, and broke open the game in the fourth quarter with a 9-0 run to grab an 83-67 edge.

Parker managed only six points, all of them coming in the first period, and made only 3-of-9 nine shots with just two assists.

Ginobili scored 22 points but made only 7-of-20 shots from the field and went 0-for-4 in 3-pointers.

Tim Duncan had 21 points and 16 rebounds for the Spurs, who had a four-game win streak snapped.

In other results on Monday, the New York Knicks won 102-97 against visiting Sacramento.